Post-Game Talk: | Pens vs Caps | win | Geno redemption goal

[Buddy Bizarre]

I wish MORE players on this team were willing to punch a massive clown like Wilson in the mush.

This team never standing up for each other is one of the things that makes them so unlikeable. So I'm more than fine with that.

Malkin isn't afraid of big bad Tom Wilson whatsoever. He even laid a couple of solid legal checks on him through the game

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

One of the biggest issues with this team's attempts to play "shutdown defense" when holding a lead is they give up their own blueline way too easily. Sullivan's got them worrying about how they should be positioned when already in the D-zone when in fact the best teams shut the opposing team down in the NEUTRAL ZONE before even entering the zone.

Our neutral zone defense is horrendous. Forwards don't provide back support, defense doesn't stand guys up and readily backs up and lets the opposition enter the zone without resistance, etc. And it happens time and time again, so clearly Sullivan's not telling them to do anything different.

I was watching this exact thing quite carefully during the game. When they got up 3-0, they actually starting cutting off the red line and kept forcing the Caps back. Then as the game progressed, they started receding as fast as Geno's hairline. They kept inching back between red line and their own blue line. Then minutes would tick by and then it was to their blueline. Then they started allowing the Caps to enter their zone and the comeback was on

 

[Sidgeni Malkby]

I was watching this exact thing quite carefully during the game. When they got up 3-0, they actually starting cutting off the red line and kept forcing the Caps back. Then as the game progressed, they started receding as fast as Geno's hairline. They kept inching back between red line and their own blue line. Then minutes would tick by and then it was to their blueline. Then they started allowing the Caps to enter their zone and the comeback was on

Glad you followed that...so what do you think is the solution?
Do we just lack the personnel to play shutdown defense?

We used to try to keep the puck in the zone and play the offensive game, but that didn't work either .

What I do notice is we rarely stand up opposing players. If you standup a player and take him out with some contact, he is no longer in the play, even if he manages to pass the puck off.

Also, our defensive man-on-man coverage sucks. How many times do I see the opposing team 3rd/4th/5th man in being the next man in. Fine 5th man I can understand happening sometimes, as it's easy to have 1 guy caught up ice, but a 5 on 4 is very different from a 3 on 2.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

Glad you followed that...so what do you think is the solution?
Do we just lack the personnel to play shutdown defense?

We used to try to keep the puck in the zone and play the offensive game, but that didn't work either .

What I do notice is we rarely stand up opposing players. If you standup a player and take him out with some contact, he is no longer in the play, even if he manages to pass the puck off.

Also, our defensive man-on-man coverage sucks. How many times do I see the opposing team 3rd/4th/5th man in being the next man in. Fine 5th man I can understand happening sometimes, as it's easy to have 1 guy caught up ice, but a 5 on 4 is very different from a 3 on 2.

I don't think it's personnel related. It's a team structure and dedication thing.

If I'm Sullivan, I'm showing this team clips of 2017 playoff run where they were missing Letang and essentially countered the entire run. They don't have to mimic that for an playoffs let alone an entire GAME....just do it when they hold a lead for the 3rd period.

I mean that graphic of +/- goal differential by period says it all. We're probably at minus 10 for 3rd period aggregate.

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

This is why I loves me some Phil Bourque it is.

 

[Sidgeni Malkby]

I don't think it's personnel related. It's a team structure and dedication thing.

If I'm Sullivan, I'm showing this team clips of 2017 playoff run where they were missing Letang and essentially countered the entire run. They don't have to mimic that for an playoffs let alone an entire GAME....just do it when they hold a lead for the 3rd period.

I mean that graphic of +/- goal differential by period says it all. We're probably at minus 10 for 3rd period aggregate.

Yeah, so our 2017 counter relied on scoring off the rush, which it seems we are no longer capable of doing. I mentioned this at some point, but I believe we're the 2nd worst team at scoring off the rush.

Also, we used to chip the puck a lot in 2017. Active sticks and in your face as fast as possible. I agree that maybe we don't have that dedication.

If we could only replicate some of that forecheck hustle on the back end. Essentially flip the game, focus on defensive puck possession and hustle when having the lead.

If we haven't sorted it out in 70+ games, it's not like we'll figure it out in the last 9, barring some miracle.

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

Malkin isn't afraid of big bad Tom Wilson whatsoever. He even laid a couple of solid legal checks on him through the game

Seeing the game live, I barely even noticed that Mongoloid shaved ape for majority of the game.

 

[PensandCaps]

Speaking of another misused player lol, DOC has a .83 goals/60 rate at 5v5, which is top 6 production scoring, and DOC is doing it from the 3rd and 4th lines…. DOC has put up that rate in 369 5v5 minutes…he got like 8 min last night…he’s young and could probably play another 8 min…while Zucker is injured and laboring, why not have him alternate shifts w DOC and DOC can take his regular fourth line shift, just double shift him…his scoring rate could pop a little more if he got more ice time in the top 6

Another Kap/Blueger/McCann/Gaudreau situation. He'll go elsewhere and be a very good role player. Sullivan doesn't know how to use a bottom 6 apparently.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

Yeah, so our 2017 counter relied on scoring off the rush, which it seems we are no longer capable of doing. I mentioned this at some point, but I believe we're the 2nd worst team at scoring off the rush.

Also, we used to chip the puck a lot in 2017. Active sticks and in your face as fast as possible. I agree that maybe we don't have that dedication.

If we could only replicate some of that forecheck hustle on the back end. Essentially flip the game, focus on defensive puck possession and hustle when having the lead.

If we haven't sorted it out in 70+ games, it's not like we'll figure it out in the last 9, barring some miracle.

Yea it was weird coincidence that someone posted that stat about us this year: how poor we were off the rush. Low and behold we got like 3 of them Sat night lol

But the purpose behind trapping and countering isn't necessarily to score, it's to keep the other team from having continual possession. Sure scoring is nice as you can use it to melt the game away, but if you can play most of the period of frequent 50/50 pucks in the NZ/in the corners, you're in good shape to protect the lead you've built.

 

[SEALBound]

Another Kap/Blueger/McCann/Gaudreau situation. He'll go elsewhere and be a very good role player. Sullivan doesn't know how to use a bottom 6 apparently.

Disagree, I think DOC has been utilized properly here. He didn't show much when given top 6 time so he got placed on the 4th line where he should have been. Now he's slowly building his game and is being rewarded - promotion from 4th to 3rd line.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

Disagree, I think DOC has been utilized properly here. He didn't show much when given top 6 time so he got placed on the 4th line where he should have been. Now he's slowly building his game and is being rewarded - promotion from 4th to 3rd line.

I took DOC's bouncing between the 3rd and 4th line more related to the introduction of injured players (Poehling) back into the lineup and chemistry vs anything to do with his production.

 

[PensandCaps]

Disagree, I think DOC has been utilized properly here. He didn't show much when given top 6 time so he got placed on the 4th line where he should have been. Now he's slowly building his game and is being rewarded - promotion from 4th to 3rd line.

I think properly utilizing him and rewarding him for his play is time in the top 6, It's not like Rust has been good at all at any point this year but gets fed top 6 minutes no matter what. Not once has he seen a demotion even though he deserves it.

 

[SEALBound]

I think properly utilizing him and rewarding him for his play is time in the top 6, It's not like Rust has been good at all at any point this year but gets fed top 6 minutes no matter what. Not once has he seen a demotion even though he deserves it.

Well yeah but DOC has found his success at LW. That would mean you'd have to drop Jake or Zucker to the 3rd line and I don't think he's been better than either.

 

[The Old Master]

They really tried to lose this one, but even though you want it, you just can't lose every game!

geno was playing against his buddy's. there was no way he was going to lose.

 

[Andy99]

No Jeff Carter at practice this am…sorry not sorry

 

[Gurglesons]

No Jeff Carter at practice this am…sorry not sorry

It’s a maintenance day.

Also Dumo - Petry has returned.

 

[Andy99]

It’s a maintenance day.

Also Dumo - Petry has returned.

I don’t know if that’s good…wasn’t that pair pair pretty bad analytically?

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

No Jeff Carter at practice this am…sorry not sorry

While we all hate JC, he's appropriately being played on the 4th line.
Plus if Bones isn't back, who would be 4C? DOC?

 

[Gurglesons]

I don’t know if that’s good…wasn’t that pair pair pretty bad analytically?

No it is horrible lol

I’d probably go Friedman - Petry, Dumo - Ruh personally.

 

[Andy99]

While we all hate JC, he's appropriately being played on the 4th line.
Plus if Bones isn't back, who would be 4C? DOC?

I dunno…let’s see a fourth line of Nylander-DOC-Archi…can’t be any slower lol

I like trying Granlund on L2…

 

[Gurglesons]

I dunno…let’s see a fourth line of Nylander-DOC-Archi…can’t be any slower lol

I like trying Granlund on L2…

Granlund was on L2 in the game Saturday.

 

[Andy99]

Granlund was on L2 in the game Saturday.

Only for snipets…didn’t start out that way

 

[Gurglesons]

Only for snipets…didn’t start out that way

For nearly 2 periods.

 

[Deport Ogie]

One thing I noticed that I haven't yet seen called out is the way Geno positioned his body and blade to make it look clearly like he was going to try and go high short-side but at the very last possible moment opened up and went low blocker instead. It's part of the reason he had Kuemper leaning so bad opening that shot location.

Incidentally, Body and Blade is the name of my new doom/drone band.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

One thing I noticed that I haven't yet seen called out is the way Geno positioned his body and blade to make it look clearly like he was going to try and go high short-side but at the very last possible moment opened up and went low blocker instead. It's part of the reason he had Kuemper leaning so bad opening that shot location.

Incidentally, Body and Blade is the name of my new doom/drone band.

Yeah he completely changed the angle of his release about as fluidly as I've ever seen. It looked like Kuemper bit five hole. Low blocker wasn't even open when Malkin started his shooting motion. A pretty sneaky goal.